Challenging Weekend

Unfortunately this past weekend, Jess experience a minor complication - a blood clot in her lung. Good news is they caught in quickly and were able to treat the clot immediately. Heparin (a blood thinner) is being administered via IV to ensure this does not happen again. Blood clots are a complication of prolonged bed rest as well as surgery. The Doctors figure the clot developed in her right leg (which she had operated on after the accident) and traveled up to her lung. An ultrasound was performed on her right leg yesterday to check for more clots, however I have not heard the results of that test.

Despite this bump in the road, Jess continues her rehab with daily physiotherapy sessions. She is getting very good at getting herself up in bed and into her wheelchair. Her right leg is still non-weight bearing so walking in still out of the question at least for a few more weeks.

Klint and I were able to take the boys for a visit yesterday afternoon, as usual they entertained Gramma and most of all, they made her smile.....it was exactly what the doctors ordered. :)

Birthday celebrations!!!

A little while back mom had a tough day, dealing with bed sores, embarrassment of bodily functions and physical limitations had gotten to her. My heart sunk, especially since she had not spoken of any obstacles until then. I went home praying that somehow she would feel better, not knowing if she would continue to feel discouraged for awhile. The very next day she called to reassure me that she was feeling better....and she was. I do believe that she has been given strength from God to make it through this. It has been amazing to see her finding joy in her situation. Which brings me to her party plans:) On Saturday, August 15th, we celebrated my Dad's birthday in the Brodie Center. Mom does not want Cohen to be exposed to all the ailments in the Hospital, so she found us a place that has very little patients and many medical students for us to party in. Susie, Klint, Karter and Mitch brought the cake, we all met together and watched dad/grandpa open his gifts...this was the first time we had all been together since before the accident. Two days later, we got to do it again to celebrate Klint's birthday. Dad brought the pizza, salad and cake, we were set. Mom won't let one bad day take her down...she fights back with extra cheer to make sure we all come out smiling:)

Next birthdays are in October, it is nice to look ahead and know we will be celebrating those at Mom and Dad's in their cozy living room.

Personal strength

Physically she continues to surprise us as well as the Doctors. The physio therapists have her sitting in different positions in bed as well as her wheel chair. For the past week, my Mom has been learning to sit up in bed on her own using her hands to adjust her position without hurting her neck. They also have her doing leg lifts with a rope around her feet, that wraps around a bar that she pulls on to lift her leg. They were saying, that tomorrow they might try to get her to stand, and with all this quick rehab they may move her to the Rehab Hospital next week, it is in the same hospital just different ward/building. Her voice has been stronger the last couple of days, I believe that's the ribs healing.

She is very thankful for all the friends that keep visiting her, she loves it. A few people from church played a practical joke on here today showing up dressed as pirates. Her and the nurses got a good laugh over it.

She would love to see you and is very thankful for all the thoughts and prayers.

Beautiful Smile

On Saturday morning Mitchell and I (Klint) went in to see Gramma. The smile on her face when she heard Mitchell enter her room was ear to ear. My Mom was in great spirits probably because she is healing so well. The broken bones are mending quickly, but I guess not moving much keeps the bones in the right positions. She also got the staples from her leg surgery taken out yesterday. My Mom is definitely liked by the nurses, 3 of them helped remove the staples to make it as quick as possible (removing staples can be fairly painful), they told her typically only 1 nurse does the job. She was very thankful.

Something the police told her the other day that my Mom wanted to pass on to everyone is that it is illegal to were open back shoes/sandals (flip flops) when driving.....this is something that you can be ticketed for and most of all, it can be very dangerous.

Favorite moments

Today I ( Kristie) got to visit my mom. The first in a couple of days due to my own illnesses...sigh...

Wow! it is so great to see just how far she has come. Let me list a couple of my favorite moments from this evening:

1. Mom's says she getting old because one of her Doctor's is a friend of Klint's!!

2. She now only wears a pain patch, no more button pressing. 

(this shows she is managing her pain better!)

3. Dad's jokes about her seeing double..."Now she can see 2 of me!"

4. Love all the cards and flowers from friends and family.So very encouraging!

5. Mom's new window view

6. Her big smile

7. She brushed her own teeth

8. The Lang's came in for a lovely visit

9. She mentioned that the medical staff has her in and out of bed and moving a wheelchair from time to time during the day!!!

10. Dad's soft heart for Dave the man with the head injury down the hall. ( he says hi and gives him chocolates:)

11. Mom's steadfast faith in God

Well that sums it up for me:) Sending you all love, Kristie

Just wanted to make a clarification from the last post....Jess did get out for a walk the other day, however she was being pushed in her wheelchair. We apologize for the confusion.

Today she met with someone from the rehabilitation unit, they indicated that they expect her to be a very good candidate for the rehab and they look forward to working with her in a few weeks.

She also had some x-rays done late last week, everything looks good, no concerns.

Well this was an interesting weekend for my mom, she got a roommate for 2 days. The roommate was a teenager, and lives in a different style of life then my Mother. So thankfully the living arrangement has come to an end, but the experience was very educational for my mom.

Also, today she got to go outside for the first time and get some fresh air for a nice walk (or push what ever way you wanna look at it).

Thanks again for your thoughts and prayers, my Mom appreciates all the visitors that have stop by, the extra company is greatly appreciated.